A Look at a Few Potential Kansas Wrestling Recruits

We’ve taken a look at how Texas wrestling has grown and improved and how some big names there could help out the Cowboys. We’ve also looked at how naturally OSU will go after a few Oklahoma kids and even looked at how the 2018 NJCAA Champion team at NEO could plug some spots in the OSU lineup eventually.

Now we’re going to head north of the Oklahoma border and look at some Kansas kids that the Cowboys are likely to take a run at. As we discussed with the Texas write-up there are similar advantages to recruits from Kansas. They’re close by, they don’t have an in state D-I college with wrestling, etc…. Add to that the fact that the recruiting coordinator for OSU, Tyler Caldwell, is from there, and it doesn’t take much to connect the dots

OSU has traditionally had some success with Kansas kids. As we noted Tyler Caldwell was great for the Cowboys, Preston Weigel is an All-American favored to win the Big 12 for the third time this weekend, and the 2018 class included Jalin Harper out of Manhattan.

Lets take a look at a few others that may follow in their footsteps.

Kyle Haas, 182, Freshman – Maize, Kansas

Hayden Barber had a great write up on Haas. Haas is a good name nationally, probably the best in this group of Kansas kids we’re going to talk about. He’ll be recruited by a lot of good schools, but OSU has a pretty deep connection here. He’s Tyler Caldwell’s brother. That and being just a few hours south of him you have to like OSU’s chances with him. There is always a chance of a Barry Sanders Jr. type situation though. He is getting recruited by Stanford and some other big name schools.

Troy Fisher, 170, Junior – Goddard, Kansas

Fisher is a beast. He’s the best wrestler in the state of Kansas and he happens to be from the same school as OSU recruiting coordinator Tyler Caldwell, so OSU obviously has an “in” there. The only problem is that OSU just signed the best wrestler in the planet at his weight in Travis Wittlake, so it’s sorta tough to see what they’d do with him here. He could pull down to 165 which will have a void when Joe Smith graduates. There’s always a possibility that one of them grows into 184 leaving a hole at 174. It’s tough to know. This kid is good though.

Wyatt Hendrickson, 195, Junior – Newton, Kansas

Hendrickson hasn’t won a state title yet. He lost in the state finals this year after his assistant coach passed away the day before the tournament and dropped his finals match last year to one of the best wrestlers in their state. He’s good though and OSU is showing some interest. I do think OSU is going pretty hard after AJ Ferrari though and Ferrari projects as a 197, so if OSU gets both of these guys you have to think Hendrickson would have to move up or down in weight to get to start.

Jason Henschel, 106, Sophomore – Goddard, Kansas

Henschel was a state champ this year. He’s a good wrestler, but at 106 currently looks like he would be a small 125 in college. He’s still got time to put on some size. He’s another from the same school as Tyler Caldwell. I don’t know if he’s a top priority target, but he’s a die hard OSU fan, so with the Caldwell connection, the passion for OSU he could want to walk on, he may be willing to go to NEO for a few years then come here., But he could definitely wind up on the OSU roster.

Aidan Campbell, 132, Junior – Maize, Kansas

Campbell is another kid from Maize. He’s a solid wrestler and another that likes OSU. He could fill a need with his size. The Cowboys are stacked at the lower weights right now. They graduate three starters in two years though, so he could slot in one of those gaps after a redshirt year. He’s another one that I could see going to NEO then OSU, if he doesn’t come to Stillwater initially.

When you look at the OSU lineup currently you have a bunch of Oklahoma and Kansas kids, one New Yorker, one guy from Ohio, and one guy from Minnesota. Even with the great legacy OSU has with the small number of scholarships in wrestling that’s sorta what you have to expect. OSU will usually have three to four big national recruits and the rest of the spots are filled with local kids. They’ve already have commitments/signings from a few big national names. They may have room for one or two more, but don’t be surprised to see a few of these guys on the OSU roster in a few years.